Food: Treat mom to a kid-and-dad-proof Mother’s Day breakfast

Herbed Baked Eggs, Buttermilk Spice Muffins and Blueberry Soup make for a simple, family-friendly Mother's Day breakfast. Fresh herbs and garnishes make the dishes elegant enough to feel special, but recipes are simple enough for anyone to make.

Sure, many elegant gourmet recipes would be great for Mother’s Day brunch. Problem is, they require cooking and grocery shopping skills that, at least if yours is a typical household, are possessed exclusively by mom.

Isn’t she supposed to be getting a break this Sunday?

Here’s an at-home breakfast menu that features simple extras such as fresh herbs — not fancy techniques or hard-to-find ingredients — to make the dishes elegant enough to make mom feel special but easy enough for dad and the kids to whip up.

Herbed Baked Eggs call for just three ingredients plus a few fresh herbs to dress them up, adding garden flavor and a gourmet feel. Garnished with a dollop of yogurt and a slice of lemon, kid-friendly Blueberry Soup looks restaurant-ready. Finally, Buttermilk Spice Muffins require buttermilk and chopped nuts, but all of the other ingredients are probably already in your kitchen. They even have whole-wheat flour. Mom should approve!

Herbed Baked Eggs

Start to finish: 15 minutes

Servings: 1

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1/2 tablespoon butter

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon fresh chives, chopped

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat broiler and position rack about 4 inches from broiler. In an individual gratin dish or ramekin, combine heavy cream and butter; set on heavy baking sheet. Broil for 3 minutes or until cream and butter are bubbly.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, crack eggs, leaving yolks intact. Add eggs to hot cream mixture and top with chives, thyme and rosemary. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired. Place back under broiler for 4 to 6 minutes or until whites are cooked but still soft. The eggs will continue to cook once removed from the oven. Allow to rest for 1 minute. Serve hot.

(Recipe from February 1995 issue of Bon Appétit, as listed at epicurious.com)

Buttermilk Spice Muffins

Start to finish: 40 minutes (15 minutes active)

Servings: 1 dozen muffins

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened

3 extra-large eggs

2 cups flour

1/2 cup white whole-wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk, well-shaken

Topping:

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease a muffin tin (or line with paper cups). In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until well mixed.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, whole-wheat flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Then mix in the buttermilk. Add the final amount of the flour mixture, beating just until combined. The batter may still be a bit lumpy.

In a small food processor or blender, whiz together the topping ingredients. Pulse until nuts are very finely ground and ingredients are well-blended.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin, filling each cup about 3/4 full. Sprinkle the top with a rounded tablespoon of the sugar nut topping. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the muffin comes out clean. Cool muffins in the tin for 5 minutes, then carefully lift out to a cooling rack.

(Recipe from disneyfamily.com)

— Lawrence Journal-World features reporter Sara Shepherd can be reached at 785-832-7187.